Pages

Monday, January 31, 2011

So The King's Speech looks almost unstoppable now after claiming top honors at both the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Director of The King's Speech, Tom Hoopertook home the DGA Feature Film Award, beating out his distinguished rivals Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan and David O. Russell.The DGA's award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the Inception of the award in 1948 has the winner not gone on to take the award at the Oscars. Wow!
At the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, Colin Firth won the award of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his stirring performance in The King's Speech, while Natalie Portman won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award for Black Swan, all but locking up both winners for Oscar day. In the Supporting Actor/Actress categories, The Fighter duo Christian Bale and Melissa Leo matched their Golden Globe victories with recognition here again. But it was The King's Speech that took out the award for Outstanding Ensemble. While Firth and Rush were excellent, I feel Helena Bonham-Carter is receiving way too much recognition for her underwhelming support. The rest of the cast were all quite solid I guess. But in a year full of great ensembles, notably The Social Network, Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids are All Right, Winter's Bone and True Grit, it wasn't a prominent stand-out.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Having recently re-watched Toy Story 3 I asked myself what my favourite Pixar film was. I really couldn't decide, but with the exception of Cars (which I haven't seen) I love them all. So I have decided to watch all of the releases by Pixar over the years and come to some sort of conclusion as to what my favourite is. I started today with WALL-E, certainly one of the most visually groundbreaking of the Pixar resume. I have added a poll to my homepage. Thanks for reading and feel free to vote for your favourite film by Pixar.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Fresh from the news that the Coen Brothers had received another nomination in the directing category at the 83rd Academy Awards, and that their newest film, True Grit, had received ten nominations, I rushed into the city to see the film on its opening day. The Western genre is certainly not one of my favorite genres, but this return to 'true' Western tradition certainly didn't disappoint. While it still doesn't stand amongst my very favorite films of the year, it is a brilliantly dialogued, very well acted and beautifully shot film. The Coen Bros', long two of my most respected filmmakers, have made it their style to be freshly original with each film they make, and they are able to tackle multiple genres with effortless ease. When I heard that they were re-making a John Wayne film I was surprised and puzzled as to why I was hearing such positive reviews. But then I discovered that it is actually a re-adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel, adopting an alternative approach to it's acclaimed, but I believe flawed 1969 predecessor. Jeff Bridges takes on the role that claimed John Wayne a Best Actor Oscar, 'Rooster' Cogburn, and he receives great support from Hailee Steinfeld (in what is extraordinarily her first film role) and Matt Damon and very briefly Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper.

The career of the Coen Brothers has spanned across almost every genre, often adhering to those typical to classical Hollywood; including film noir (Blood Simple and Fargo), gangster (Miller's Crossing), screwball comedy (Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski) and musical (O Brother Where Art Thou). Having always challenged the boundaries of genre, the Coens' create films that work both as appropriate homage to the typical conventions, but also inclusive to the highly imaginative and subversive flair of their auteur style. I actually found True Grit to be their most conventional and conformative film, which deemed it seem unlike any other Coen film I have seen. True, the Western is a genre you can't really mess with, because it is so grounded in tradition, but very few quality Westerns spring to mind from the last decade. Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) is one, Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford also wasn't bad, along with the Coens very own No Country for Old Men (2007). Paul Thomas Anderson's spectacular American frontier film, There Will be Blood (2007) is also endowed with Western themes. True Grit, despite some unfortunate mumbling from Bridges, which deem a lot of his likely memorable lines unintelligible for the audience, is spectacular entertainment.

The story centres on Mattie Ross (Steinfeld), a mature and headstrong 14 year-old girl who seeks to pursue and capture the man who killed her father, Tom Chaney (Brolin). Chaney was one of her father's hired hands and escapes with his horses and two California gold pieces to join the posse of "Lucky" Ned Pepper (Barry Pepper) in Indian territory. When collecting her father's body from the undertakers she inquires about hiring a Deputy U.S Marshall to track down Chaney. She is directed to 'Rooster' Cogburn (Bridges), a rugged and merciless lawman she is told possesses 'True Grit'. At the same time, a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Damon) has arrived in town tracking the trail of Chaney following an unrelated murder in Texas. LaBoeuf suggests to Mattie that he should accompany Cogburn, declaring it a two man job. Mattie rejects this competitive proposal because LaBoeuf wishes to escort Chaney back to Texas to be hanged for the past crime, and she wants Chaney to know that his hanging is for the murder of her father. After finally securing Cogburn's services, creating one of cinemas most mismatched allegiances, he tells Mattie to meet him the following morning. On arrival she discovers a note instructing her to return home, and that he would pursue Chaney alone. She catches up to him later in the day to find that he has partnered with LaBoeuf and agreed to share the reward from Texas. Bitter at Cogburn's disrespect of the contract, which specified that she was to accompany him on the hunt, and determined to prove her worth, she is reluctantly given permission to join the men. The film chronicles their chase of the elusive Chaney, and the obstacles they meet on the way, both from the lawlessness of the land and internal conflict between an increasingly drunken, disinterested and wearisome Cogburn, and the frustrated LaBoeuf, who leaves the group at one point to start an individual pursuit of Chaney. Mattie, driven by her desire for justice, remains the strongest and most focused amidst the selfish rivalry that develops between her colleagues.

True Grit is a great example of a near-dead genre. The Coens confident decision to revive an already classic of the genre is a risky one, but they pull it off beautifully. They transfer the slick, fast-talking dialogue of the novel into their screenplay, and it works to provide consistent amusement amidst the engaging drama. It's a compelling story, equipped with all the typical Western elements; the quest for retribution and justice in a harsh, lawless land, the scouring of the wilderness, mismatched posses and engaging pistol shootouts. I found the conclusion to be a bit predictable, but essentially most Westerns end much the same way. The violence is often brutal, but I have seen few Westerns this accessible to a wide audience. After their last film, A Serious Man (2009), which was one of their most bizarre, True Grit is pretty accessible, and this is proven by its success at the box office and a likely determinant of it's recognition at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Roger Deakins beautiful cinematography may just win him his first Oscar, after missing out twice in 2007 for his exceptional work in No Country for Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. One of the key themes in the Western genre is the taming of the wilderness, with it often proving to be as large a threat to the protagonists as the enemy they are pursuing. Deakins beautifully captures the surroundings and transforms it both into something to be feared but also to be marvelled. I find there is nothing better than a sequence transpiring amongst softly falling snow onto the hair and shoulders of the characters. Time has no importance here either, as the days drift into one another, with only justice and vengeance fueling their pursuit. Carter Burwell's work with the score is also fantastic, as are the costumes and the make-up.

Jeff Bridges has a lot of fun as Rooster, transforming himself completely into the gruff world-weary lawman that cares little for the affairs of others. His character undergoes the most change throughout the film, and he becomes genuinely impressed with Mattie and wishes to help and protect her. The pursuit of Chaney also presents an opportunity for Rooster to take down Ned Pepper, a long sought-after outlaw. Most of Bridges' dialogue is amusing and quotable, but a great deal of it is lost in his often unintelligible mumbling. The sequence where Rooster clambers off his horse, drunk, and then attempts to re-convince LaBoeuf of his exceptional shooting skills, is particularly memorable. While Bridges' performance is great, I really think the Academy has overlooked Ryan Gosling this year in favor of Bridges, who certainly won't beat out Colin Firth again. The film's highlight is 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, in her first film role. Despite receiving a supporting nomination, she is the lead and centre of the film, but is at times pushed to the periphery of the script for the purpose of exposing the performances of her companions. She dominates the first third of the film, and it is worth it alone to see her incessant and relentless bargaining with a local trader over the sale of her father's horses. When Bridges and Damon join in though, she is given much fewer lines but still manages to hold her own in every scene. She is a revelation. Headstrong and no nonsense, she is still revealed as childlike and innocent on other occasions, and her chemistry with Bridges is impeccable. Matt Damon, who is always so versatile, also gives great support. Josh Brolin gives a very odd and amusing performance, as does the often underrated Barry Pepper.

I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed True Grit. I love the Coens and this is certainly one of their most accessible recent films, which is likely to build once again the recognition and respect that audiences gave to the Westerns of old. It is one of years best no doubt, but I think it lacks a spark that made other lead contenders like The Social Network, Black Swan, The Kids are All Right and Winter's Bone so memorable to me personally.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

At this point I'm not really sure what to say about Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void. It is certainly still resonating with me. It features absolutely incredible cinematography and bizarre narrative-halting hallucinogenic drug induced light trips that reminded me of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. When a young American drug dealer is killed in Tokyo, his spirit remains behind and watches over his younger sister. It's a brilliant concept from the director of the hugely controversial Irreversible (2002), and an ingenious technical feat, but what a struggle at 160 minutes. Am I likely to watch it again? No. ***1/2

Mary and Max is Australian filmmaker Adam Elliot's follow up to his 2003 Academy Award winning animated short film, Harvey Krumpet. It is a clay-animated feature film that tells a charming and insightful account of a 20-year pen-pal friendship between Mary, a lonely and ordinary 8-year-old girl living in Mount Waverly, Melbourne, and Max, an obese 44-year-old Jewish man suffering from Asperger Syndrome, who lives an isolated life in New York City. Mary and Max had it's world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and was the first animated film and the first Australian film to be screened on Opening Night in the 25 year history of the Festival. On a budget of 8.3 Million dollars, production of the film required a crew of 120 people, including six animators, to shoot continuously for 57 weeks. It was filmed in writer/director Elliot's home town of Melbourne and took five years to complete. The result is a stirring examination of the quirks and complexities of life and the desire of two strangers to find acceptance in a world where no one else will listen. Fuelled by a rich imagination and dedication to a unique artistic vision, Mary and Max is a triumph of animation that tackles quite effectively some very heavy themes.

Throughout the extent of the films' running time we are continuously learning more about the two characters, with most of it revealed through their correspondence by letters. We are first introduced to Mary (voiced by Bethany Whitmore), an 8-year-old plump and bespectacled girl from Melbourne who has an unfortunate birthmark on her forehead. Her mother is an alcoholic who has all but lost touch with reality, and her father stays busy working his factory job of attaching the string to the tea bag. Her only friend is her pet rooster, who "doesn't lay eggs but will someday" and she dreams of marrying a man named Earl Grey and living in a mansion with her nine children. Mary is compelled to learn about the outside world by posing a question to a complete stranger from America. Equipped with the knowledge that babies come from the bottom of beer glasses, courtesy of her grandmother, she asks Max Jerry Horowitz about the origins of babies in America. Max (voiced by an unrecognizable Phillip Seymour-Hoffman) is an overweight 44-year-old Jewish man from New York City. He lives in isolation in his apartment with an assortment of pets, and is endowed with a series of odd mannerisms that make it difficult for him to relate to others. He frequently encounters severe panic attacks and finds social interaction confusing. His only weekly socialising are his Overeaters Anonymous meetings, and the occasional call from his 'near-blind' neighbour.

Max receives Mary's letter, which also includes a small self-portrait and a chocolate bar, and while confused at first, he decides to write back and answer her question, relishing the opportunity to justify to a complete stranger his many quirks. They remain in correspondence for years, offering creative insights into each others problems, exchanging passions and interests and contemplating the confusion of everyday life. Max suffers from panic attacks, including one serious enough to hospitalize him, and result in the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, which explains why he sees the world in a different way to most people. Mary grows older, and is voiced by Toni Collette, and after finding out about Max's diagnosis, she majors in psychological disorders at University, hoping to find a cure for Max's problem. She also marries her longtime crush (voiced by Eric Bana).

The sad, but inspiring tale of these two outcast individuals is full of twists and turns, and hilarious eccentricities. You even find yourself forgetting that it is an animation, as the emotional power of the themes and the humanity of the characters is so strongly realized. Often in the same scene, it doubles between being ridiculously cute, and sickly alarming. Technically though, the multitude of sets are quite elaborate and the stop-motion animated puppets are the product of Elliot's truly unique vision. 133 sets, 212 puppets and 475 miniature props were used during the 57 weeks of filming. The film is also shot beautifully, capturing Max's bleak existence in New York with stark charcoal black and grey, which works in contrast to the sepia drenched suburban lifestyle in Melbourne. The characters create both a sense of joy, and a gut-wrenching feeling of sadness in the hearts of the audience as we are revealed to their very honest and personal expressions of themselves to one another through their letters. Most of the film is made up of voice-over, either through the gifted voice of the narrator, Barry Humphries, or through Mary and Max's recount of their letters.

Unfortunately, the strong themes in Mary and Max, which include childhood neglect, teasing, loneliness, low self-esteem, autism, obesity, anxiety, depression, life and death, deem this inappropriate for youngsters, who still may find the animation charming. Most of the jokes and life lessons are addressed at adults, of which many I'm sure would be turned off by it's childish oddities, and macabre character traits. It's a shame that it will struggle to be widely received. I also found some of the sequences to run on a bit too long. They are quite lengthy recitals of the letters at times, and seeks to reveal everything about the characters, while not really challenging them to change. It was also frustrating to see Max, who was so motivated to lose weight, turn to buying a lifetime supply of chocolate with his lottery winnings, a sadly naive decision to believe that completing his life goals would bring him the connection to humanity that he sought. The length of the film also made the bleak final act and the witty, resonating conclusion slightly less engaging than it should have been. Still, I really enjoyed Mary and Max, and it is likely one of the finest animated feature films to ever be released by an Australian. Adam Elliot is certainly a man to keep an eye out for in the future.

Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right
No Andrew Garfield for The Social Network! Renner's inclusion doesn't make much sense to me here.

Best Original Screenplay

Another YearThe FighterInceptionThe Kids are All RightThe King's Speech

Black Swan left out here. I had The Fighter missing out, but it now leads the nominees with six.

Best Adapted Screenplay

127 HoursThe Social NetworkToy Story 3True GritWinter's Bone

Best Animated Feature

How to Train Your DragonL'IllusionisteToy Story 3

Best Art Direction

Alice in WonderlandHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part IInceptionThe King's SpeechTrue Grit

Best Cinematography

Black SwanInceptionThe King's SpeechThe Social NetworkTrue Grit

Best Costume Design

Alice in WonderlandI Am LoveThe King's SpeechThe TempestTrue Grit

Best Documentary Feature

Exit Through the Gift ShopGaslandInside JobRestrepoWasteland

Best Documentary Short

Killing in the NamePoster Girlstrangers No MoreSun Come UpThe Warriors of Qiugang

Best Editing

Black SwanThe FighterThe King's Speech127 HoursThe Social Network

Best Foreign Film

BiutifulDogtoothIn a Better WorldIncendiesOutside the Law

Best Make-Up

Barney's VersionThe Way BackThe Wolfman

Best Original Score

How to Train Your DragonInceptionThe King's Speech127 HoursThe Social Network

Best Original Song

"Coming Home", Country Song
"I See The Light", Tangled
"If I Rise", 127 Hours
"We Belong Together", Toy Story 3

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monster, written and directed by Patty Jenkins, is a bleak but engaging recount of the story of convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who was executed in the state of Florida in 2002 for the murder of seven men in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The case received a bunch of media attention, presenting Wuornos as an imposing monstrous presence, and tagged as "America's first female serial killer." At the centre of the drama is a truly startling Oscar winning performance from Charlize Theron as Wuornos, a Florida-residing prostitute who killed men after they picked her up in their cars. Theron's commitment to this role required her to gain about 30 pounds and wear prosthetic teeth. She also underwent an impressive transformation to closely resemble the woman's appearance. Much of her own preparation came from watching clips in between takes of Nick Bloomfield's 1992 documentary, Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. While she receives excellent support from Christina Ricci as her lesbian lover, Selby Wall, their somewhat incredible romance is certainly a key detractor from the film.

While the screenplay is essentially a glaring simplification of the life of Aileen Wuornos, Monster takes an unbiased and compelling look at the anatomy of a naturally-born serial killer, from the roots of her motives and her relationship with Selby Wall, to the willingness to commit acts of pure evil out of desperation and ultimately her sincere regret for the course of her actions. At all times though, we are studying the human side of this woman, with brief glimpses of the monstrous. The film actually forces us to side with Aileen, and not merely because she is the centre of the film. If we were to despise her, I'm sure the reception of the film would not be nearly as warm. Patty Jenkins presents her as a near-helpless woman trying desperately to avoid falling any lower than she already is, and desiring to become someone respected by society. An intimidating, cursing, chain-smoking, beer drinking presence, she was an irrational woman all her life. Completely broke, she patrols the barren Florida highways, flagging down cars and offering her experienced services to slimy men. She struggles to survive day to day off her hooking income, forced to wash herself in public restrooms.

After a very swift montage of the early years of Aileen's life, we are thrust straight into her adult life; the period following her move to Florida. This montage is accompanied by a voice-over from Theron, explaining that Aileen had never been able to fit in and just wanted people to recognize and love her for who she truly was. It is one night that she decides to use the remaining five dollars she had in her possession on a beer. In a gay club, she orders a beer and is approached by the sexually curious teenager Selby Wall, who offers to buy her a drink. After initial verbal retaliation from Aileen, she allows her to sit and converse with her. She remains adamant that she has had no lesbian experience, but essentially her sordid profession had left her with no taste for sex at all. After taking to her immediately, Selby invites Aileen to stay the night with her, and the unlikely friendship blossoms. For Selby, however, her new friendship poses a threat to her current household. She is temporarily exiled from her parents place following the accusation from another girl at church that Selby tried to kiss her. Having been attracted to Aileen and finding her presence protective, she decides to remain in Florida and move into an apartment with her.

It is only affordable for the couple because of Aileen's first murder of a client (Lee Tergesen, OZ), who she killed out of self-defense as the man had at first tried to rape and brutalize her. Following a series of failed attempts to find legitimate work, a frustrated Aileen returns to prostitution, where she embarks on her killing rampage. She robs her victims so she can support both herself and Selby, who are now struggling to pay their bills. While the murders are planned at origin, she finds herself becoming more and more desperate to evade capture, even having to kill an sympathetic elderly man who had offered to help her.

Charlize Theron's captivating performance is certainly amongst the decades most impressive. She doesn't just 'play' Wuornos, she totally inhabits her overwhelming pity for herself, her volcanic anger, an occasional sense of euphoria but mostly her impenetrable sadness at her own existence. Through her performance you realize that she empathizes with Eileen Wuornos and is channeling all of her feelings about this woman through her speech and mannerisms. Most of this is revealed in the eyes; and not just how committed Theron is to the role, but also how scarred and broken her character truly is. Technically, it's not so impressive. The grainy cinematography, which actually reminded me a lot of John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, lacks some imagination, resorting mostly to alternating close-ups during dialogue. This was an effective way to display, countless times throughout the film, just how impressive Theron's makeover is. All of the dealings with her clients in their cars are shot the same way, and it becomes slightly repetitive, while the relationship with Selby also feels dramatized. Was Selby really so naive as to be seduced into living with Aileen? Where was the appeal? She becomes frustrated with Aileen for not providing for them, while she sits around the apartment all day. While she refuses to look for work, Aileen is out killing people to provide for her. The unnecessary arc that sees Selby meeting some women at a bar and deciding to take Aileen to the fun-fair, also felt out-of-place.

The conclusion, which was the subject of much publicity at the time and has been captured in the aforementioned documentary, is quickly wrapped up. Selby testifies against Wuornos at her trial, and she is convicted and sentenced to death. Monster is a repulsive but gripping portrayal of one woman's tragic life. We find that there are no excuses for her actions, but there were reasons, and the film is a success in making these visible.

With thanks to Rotten Tomatoes, I was made aware of the Golden Razzie nominees for 2010:

"2010 was a year when those abnoxious "surcharges" for 3-D glasses boosted movie studios' bottom lines, while actual attendance dropped once again. It was a year when most of what Hollywood released was either a remake, a "reboot", a "re-imagining" or an outright rip-off. In other words, it was a banner year for only one of Tinsel Town's best-known award ceremonies..the one that dis-honors the Worst Achievements in Film. Voting members of The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation have sifted through the cinematic rubble of last year and selected nominees for The 31st Annual Razzie Awards, with winners set to be announced in ceremonies at Hollywood's Barnsdall Gallery Theatre on February 26 - the now traditional Night Before the Oscars."

Here are the Nominees:

Worst Picture

The Bounty HunterThe Last AirbenderSex and the City 2Twilight Saga: EclipseVampires Suck

Monday, January 24, 2011

Otto (Kevin Kline) and Ken (Michael Palin) walk out of the courtroom and discuss the likely death of one of the key witnesses in George's trial in A Fish Called Wanda.

Otto: Hi, hon. How you doin'? Ooh, you look great. I love your hair. Time for a coffee?

Ken: No. I've g-g-g...

Otto: Have you thought about it? (Grabs a piece of paper out of Ken's jacket pocket)
Why did he give you this? (He reads it) Eileen Coady. Basil Street.
What does he want you to do? Send her flowers? Do her shopping? Show her a good time? Rub her out? T... (Ken has stiffened in recoil)
He wants you to rub her out? ... He's going to kill her! (Laughing hysterically)

Ken: Fuck off, or I'll kill you.

Otto: So the old lady's gonna m-m-meet with an accident, eh, K-K-Ken? (mocking Ken's stutter and again, laughing hysterically).

Ken: What's so funny?

Otto: It's just that wasting old ladies isn't nice!

Ken: Well it's better than b-b-b-buggering people.

Otto: I bet you a pound you don't kill her.

Ken: All right (walking away from Otto)

Otto: All right! I love watching your ass when you walk.
Is that beautiful or what?! (yelling after Ken) Don't go near him! He's mine!
A pound says he won't kill her!

2009 was really a great year for animated feature films. Joining Henry Selick's Coraline are Pixar's transcendental masterpiece, Up, and Wes Anderson's brilliant adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, Fantastic Mr Fox. I remember watching Coraline at the cinemas in 3D and really enjoying the experience. Endowed with stunning stop-motion animated visuals it is an imaginative, unique and genuinely creepy fairytale sure to please audiences of all ages. Henry Selick, who directed the beloved children classics The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996), expanded the possibilities of animation through the process of stop-motion. He gathered another Academy Award nomination here for his work on Coraline in the category of Best Animated Feature. Receiving popularity and acclaim at the 2009 Sydney Film Festival, Coraline is based on Neil Gaiman's 2002 novel of the same name, and was a massive project. At its peak it involved the work of 450 people, including up to 35 animators and 250 technicians and designers. The budget ballooned into the 60 Million range after the voice-cast of Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David and Ian McShane were introduced, but the end result is an exquisitely realized and universally well-received fairy tale adventure.

Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) is a clever and curious self-proclaimed 'explorer' who moves with her mother (Teri Hatcher) and father to the Pink Palace Apartments in Ashland, Oregon. This is an old house subdivided into three residences. Beneath the Jones' lives retired actresses Mrs Spink and Forcible (voiced by Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French), and above lives the eccentric Russian acrobat Mr Bobinsky (voiced by Ian McShane). With her parents working on a gardening catalogue to desperately make ends meet, Coraline finds herself bored and neglected. On an exploration of the house she finds a small locked door, meets the landlady's grandson, Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.) and a stray black cat out and about in the grounds. That night she is awoken by the sound of a mouse and follows it to the secret door, which is now missing the bricks that previously blocked the entrance. She crawls through the tunnel and finds herself in the "Other World", a world identical to her own and inhabited by her "Other Mother" and "Other Father", who function as doppelgangers to her real parents. In a sharp contrast to the other world, her parents, despite having black buttons to replace their eyes, are far more attentive to Coraline, the house is richly adorned and brightly lit and Coraline is immediately invited to sit down to a luscious feast. She is seduced by the magical beauty of the world; by her "Other Father's" garden, and by a pair of shows she attends in the other two apartments. Each of the characters, including Wybie (who has been rendered mute) and the cat (who can now talk) have been altered to conform to Coraline's wishes of a parallel 'better' world. When she returns to her reality she finds herself once again ignored by her real parents, who dismiss her stories of the world as childish. But, like many fairytale alternate realities, all is not as it seems. The Other Mother tries to keep Coraline imprisoned within her own creation by revealing she must have buttons sewn over her eyes. When Coraline refuses, her true sinister intentions are revealed, and she transforms into a monstrous version of herself and refuses to let Coraline leave. She discovers that there are other children who have been trapped by the spell of the Other Mother and Coraline must subsequently complete three challenges and free the souls of the lost children trapped in the world before her and ultimately save the rest of her real family from a similar fate. She finds unlikely allies in the alternate Wybie and the black cat and the final act is quite intense and genuinely creepy.

Technically, this is a spectacular achievement, and grand entertainment. Selick adopts the perfect look to bring Gaiman's story to life, with so many subtle features effortlessly conveyed. The oddities of each the characters are really charming, and Coraline is quite likable as the lead. The voice-cast is also stellar, especially Dakota Fanning and Keith David. The film opens strongly, developing Coraline's curiosity, her aggravation of not being taken seriously and her frustration in being cooped up in a boring old house. This alternative reality, and the adventures it endows upon her, is everything sought by her personality. But once the film becomes darker and becomes a rescue attempt of the missing eyes of the 'lost souls' it delves into cliche a bit and becomes a bit carried away with its own ingenious irrelevancies. One excellent example is the sequence where the world starts disappearing as Coraline and the cat start to walk away from Pink Palace Apartments. The visuals slowly begin to dissolve into white, where it remains for a few seconds before the apartments begin to slowly appear once again. Coraline exclaims: "How can you walk away from something and come right back to it" or something similar. The cat explains: "By walking around the world." This is a brilliant visual feat, but somewhat unnecessary to the plot. It is these few moments that let the film down and make it a tad overlong at 100 minutes. Still, Coraline and the Secret Door is one of the years best films andis an animated feature I highly respect and can certainly recommend.

It is great films like The Lives of Others that really demonstrates and reminds viewers of the possibility and power of filmmaking. A very deserving winner of Best Foreign Language Film at the 2006 Academy Awards, it is one of the most popular and certainly one of the very finest films of the decade. Tackling a context at the very heart of modern European history, director Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck intricately weaves brilliant characters and profoundly moving human drama into a taut political thriller. Set in 1984, five years before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the German Democratic Republic has set in place a strict government of the cultural scene in East Berlin. This policing is the responsibility of agents of the Stasi, who make it their business to use an extensive network of spies and surveillance to know everything about their citizens. It is a society that prays on human weakness, choosing to apprehend anyone who dares any dissension within the Communist Government allowing them to destroy the lives of any intellectual they liked.

The subject in this film is Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a loyal and successful playwright, who becomes a target of the Stasi for a number of unwarranted motives but predominantly because he has yet to write anything suspicious, and a close surveillance of his life may find ties to known deserters. The task of surveillance is given to Captain Gerd Wiesler (a brilliant Ulrich Muhe), who we are first introduced to when interrogating a man suspected of aiding his neighbour across the border. We discover that he is meticulous and calculating, a true believer in the State and a brilliantly skilled interrogation officer. We originally believe him to be cold and unsympathetic toward his enemies. We are then revealed that Wiesler is also a lecturer and is playing a recording to his eager pupils of the same interrogation, explaining his methods of interrogation in detail. Following the lecture he is approached by his superior, Grubitz (Ulrich Tukur), and assigned the case of setting up surveillance on Dreyman and his live-in girlfriend, accomplished actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). Wiesler bugs Dreyman's apartment and sets up surveillance equipment in the building, but after a few days of idle activity, finds out the true reason Dreyman has been targeted. The Party's Minister of Culture, Bruno Hempf (Thomas Thieme) covets Sieland and is using his influence within the Stasi to rid himself of a rival. This represents a brutal abuse of power, which horrifies Wiesler. Sieland is serving Hempf sexual favours, but fears that her career could be completely destroyed if she doesn't consent to the will of such a powerful individual. Although a Communist, Dreyman is disillusioned by the way his blacklisted friends are treated by the State, and when a close director friend of his commits suicide, he becomes distraught and infuriated and decides to anonymously publish an article in a West German magazine on concealed suicide rates. Using red ink on a smuggled miniature typewriter from West Germany to avoid a typeface match, he hides it under the floorboards of his apartment, as the Stasi begin a search for the culprit. To continue with anymore plot will likely reveal too many spoilers, but Weisler, who finds interest in the lives of Dreyman and Sieland and because of a developed sympathy towards their situation, adopts the secretive role of their personal guardian angel.

Completely unknown to Dreyman at this point, Weisler has had complete access to their lives through the electronic surveillance, and has a level of power of what he chooses to pass onto his superiors in his reports. Does he risk his career or life to protect a complete stranger? What the film does well is force us to believe Weisler's change of heart and acceptance of his feelings towards the couple and realizes he has a chance to help them. As we are revealed throughout the film, Weisler is socially withdrawn, has no life outside of his work, lives alone and occasionally engages in unemotional sex with large-breasted prostitutes. What is likely his first real connection with people emerges through his respect for Dreyman and his admiration for Sieland. He realizes they are not bad people, just successful artists sadly encroached by the corrupt cultural governing of the State, and desperate for change. To play a man who excels in keeping his emotions internalized, so as not to reveal weakness in an interrogation, Ulrich Muhe brilliantly conveys this purely through his eyes, facial twitches and mannerisms.

The Lives of Others is also beautifully shot using a dark film noir style of cinematography, and gloriously scored. While we aren't revealed to everything immediately, the tension is developed through the morality of the characters, and asks us to calculate what we are witnessing and how the unravelling of the events will affect them. Most of the tension actually emerges through the presence of silence, or through revelations in the dialogue. The conclusion is also exceptional. Great films have to have great endings, and this is one of the best I have ever seen. The Lives of Others is a masterfully directed political thriller that contains many poignant subtleties that rewards many repeated viewings, making the film genuinely moving and memorable. While both tragic and heart warming this is one of the most inspirational films I have ever seen that left me with a strong desire to do right by people. You have to love the magic of cinema.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Match Point is a gripping drama about infidelity and the importance of chance in our lives. This is a well constructed screenplay from Allen, as he takes a new direction toward the erotic melodrama. Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), after starting a risky affair with his friend's ex-fiance (Scarlett Johansson), decides he must cover up the affair to maintain his standard of living amongst the London elite. The final third of the film is genuinely tense, but is let down overall by average unlikable performances from the two leads.

The Last King of Scotland (Kevin McDonald, 2006) ****

A completely absorbing historical drama propelled by a pair of fantastic performances from Academy Award winner Forrest Whitaker (as the barbaric Idi Amin) and James McAvoy (as a young doctor, Nicholas Garrigan). Garrigan volunteers his services in Uganda and eventually is adopted by Amin as his family's personal physician and political colleague. He soon learns that Amin's seemingly outgoing nature towards his people masks a sinister underbelly, and once he is implicated in his horrifying regime, Garrigan realizes he must escape. There are two of the most gut-wrenching sequences I have witnessed towards the conclusion, and while the structure of the film is a bit misguided at times, the history that it reveals is important for all audiences. Definitely recommended.

With the Academy set to reveal their nominations in less than a week, I am going to update my predictions: The only films I am yet to see that figure to be prominent are 127 Hours, True Grit, Another Year and Get Low. But these predictions are a mix of both the hype surrounding the ceremony and my own personal selections.

Best Picture

The Social NetworkBlack SwanInceptionToy Story 3The Kids Are All RightThe King's SpeechThe FighterTrue Grit127 HoursWinter's Bone

Missing Out: The Town, Another Year, Shutter Island, How to Train Your Dragon

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Babel is another powerful and compelling installment from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Amores Perros and 21 Grams), but is far too long. The screenplay covers four separate international stories that become intertwined through disastrous circumstances, resulting in heartbreaking consequences. Features excellent performances, especially from Rinko Kikuchi (who received an Oscar nomination), and a beautiful score. The only story that kept me completely captivated was the one set in Japan. Really depressing stuff.

A Single Man (Tom Ford, 2009) - ****

Tom Ford's sad but satisfying debut, A Single Man, features some stunning production design, a beautiful score and another superb performance from Colin Firth (more recently, The King's Speech). The film follows a likable middle-aged college professor (Firth), who over the duration of a 24 hour period, which also marks the year anniversary of the sudden death of his lover, experiences a turbulent emotional journey. One of the most visually sensual films I have ever seen.

Today marks the release of Darren Aronofsky' s psychological horror/thriller Black Swan, David O. Russell's The Fighter, Michel Gondry's long-awaited The Green Hornet, and an intriguing documentary called Catfish. Black Swan, which stars Golden Globe winner for Best Actress (Drama), Natalie Portman, is a chilling journey into one ballerinas quest for artistic perfection, as she tries to embody both the white and the black swan for her role as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. The Fighter is a better than average boxing biopic about Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg) an up-and-coming welterweight boxer who has to overcome a working class upbringing and step out of the shadow of his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Excellent performances from Wahlberg and Amy Adams, and Golden Globe winners for their supporting performances, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo. Catfish is a very interesting documentary about the horrifying repercussions of social alienation brought about through the misuse of Facebook. All of these films are recommended.
I haven't seen The Green Hornet yet, but with the exception of one glowing review, I haven't heard anything really positive. Still, I like Gondry, so I'll check it out.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Fighter is an above average autobiographical sports feature film from director David O. Russell (Three Kings, 1999), and starring Mark Wahlberg in the central role of Mickey "Irish" Ward, a promising professional welterweight boxer caught in the shadow of his older half-brother Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). It also stars Melissa Leo as the brothers' mother Alice, and Amy Adams as Mickey's girlfriend Charlene. Set in Lowell, Massachusetts, the film was nominated for six Golden Globe awards, picking up wins for Bale and Leo in the supporting performance categories. Darren Aronofksy, who remains credited as an Executive Producer, was originally signed on to direct the film, but he opted out to direct The Wrestler (2008), and then Black Swan (2010) instead.

I was very impressed with David O. Russell's work here, transforming The Fighter intoan entertaining yet somewhat predictable sporting biopic that pays close attention to the characters and Ward's turbulent relationship with his family that sadly hinders his ascension into the boxing elite. It also remains a compelling commentary on the hardships of the small-town Massachusetts working class, and the scary impacts of drug addiction. Well made films like The Fighter can be pleasing even if they have been made dozens of times before. But this is all based on a true story, so essentially all of the incredible events portrayed here are true to life. The script is great, the performances are all excellent, and the shot-for-shot replication of the fight sequences is thoroughly realistic and brutal. The gritty cinematography during these sequences was also superb. Russell used the exact same cameras from that era and captured the footage in such a way that it appears just like it would have on the television during the 1990's.

Dicky Eklund, a gaunt and mentally affected crack addict, is consistently late to his brothers' scheduled training sessions and often arrives intoxicated. Dicky, once the pride of the Lowell working class, remains popular amongst the locals and adored by his mother and sisters (who seem to ignore his drug problem). Dicky is clinging to a brief moment of fame, having once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, despite alternative claims that he slipped. While still physically fit, his moment has passed and he is now trying to experience the success that was denied him, through his equally talented younger brother. He is so disillusioned from his drug habits that not only does he fail to realize the negative impact he has on his brothers' career, but he believes a team of HBO filmmakers are following him around and documenting his comeback to professional boxing. They are actually capturing the effects of crack addiction, which is horrifyingly portrayed on free-to-air television, much to the unexpected embarrassment of Dicky. This is a very prominent arc for the first half of the film, until Dicky is jailed for a series of ever-worsening felonies. Embarrassed by a humiliating loss experienced because of false opponent statistics provided by the promoters and his brother's poor advice, Mickey lays low and all-but quits boxing. After his brother is jailed, and inspired by his new girlfriend, Charline, Mickey finds new management and training, and the second half of the film chronicles Mickey's rise to success, culminating in his title fight in London.

The quartet of inspired performances are all outstanding. While overshadowed by the other flashy Oscar-baiting performances, Wahlberg is very solid in the title role. He plays Mickey Ward as reserved and low-key, and really holds the film together. Christian Bale, thoroughly deserving of his Golden Globe victory, actually starts out very irritating. Bale is over-the-top and chews up the scenery but I really liked him in the latter half when Dicky is released from prison. He is very very good. Having once again lost a lot of weight to portray a role, Bale impressively captures Dicky's mannerisms and Boston accent. Many would claim that Bale is one of the most dedicated 'Method' actors in Hollywood, but Mark Wahlberg's story to be prepared for this role is also astonishing. Wahlberg elected to star in the film due to his personal friendship with Ward, with both men being brought up amongst large working-class families in Massachusetts. In preparation for the role, Wahlberg underwent a strict bodybuilding exercise regimen, dedicating four years of training to obtain the physique to convincingly portray Ward. He apparently even took real punches throughout filming, and refused to use a stunt double, to increase the films' realism. The Ward brothers reportedly even moved into Wahlberg's home during pre-production. That is impressive dedication. Melissa Leo's recognition at the Globes is also warranted, though I really thought it would go to Amy Adams, long one of my favorite actresses. She delivers a tough Oscar-calibre performance as Mickey's bartender girlfriend, who makes him realize the toxic influence his family has on him and supports him through a transition into a more stable management relationship.

The Fighter is certainly much better than I expected, but I still can't shake it's predictable conformity to the genre. The dedication behind the incredible performances and the accurate recapturing of these character's lives makes this much better than average, however. It's a gritty, grueling and tragic struggle that presents some devastating moments in Ward's life, and a heartbreaking loyalty to family. It is because of what you witness throughout, that the final fight is actually rousing, inspiring entertainment.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Unstoppable is the fourth film in the last seven years featuring a working collaboration between director Tony Scott and actor Denzel Washington. With the preceding works including Man on Fire (2004), Deja Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009), this is by far the best. Having said that, this is certainly no masterpiece, but a highlight in the recent careers of both Scott and Washington, who have nose-dived in the last decade. Well, it's a stretch to say that Scott's career was ever on a high. I guess he did direct True Romance back in 1993. Denzel, with the exception of Ridley Scott's epic American Gangster in 2007, hasn't been involved in a good film since he won his second Oscar for Training Day in 2001. But here with Unstoppable, Scott has completed an astonishing technical feat for one, and transformed a very thin screenplay based on the actual events of the CSX 8888 incident in Ohio into an a frenetic, edge-of-your seat train pursuit that leaves you clutching the sides of your chair out of suspense, and leaving the cinema beaming. I can't imagine anyone feeling such a way throughout Man on Fire or Pelham.

The drama in Unstoppable ensues after a pair of negligent railway engineers, working for the Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad (AWVR), loses control of a freight train and allow it to enter the main line unmanned. When they are instructed to move the train off it's current track to make room for a train carrying a class of school children on an excursion, one of the engineers (Ethan Suplee) irresponsibly decides not to connect the locomotives air hose to save time, leaving the lone control of the air brakes within the lead locomotive. When he discovers that an approaching switch is not set to the right track, he disembarks the lead locomotive to switch it by hand, but the levers inside the lead car switch from idle on their own accord. The train picks up speed, his attempts to re-board are unsuccessful and the train takes off along the Pennsylvania main line.

This also marks the first day of Will Colson's (Chris Pine) career at AWVR. Newly hired, and only four months out of training, he is partnered with veteran engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington). Colson, on arrival, is met with ridicule from Barnes' veteran colleague, who reveals his despise for rookie conductors, who are brought in on lower salaries to replace the more experienced veterans, who are subsequently laid off. It is revealed later that Barnes is one of the men made redundant. Barnes and Colson take their locomotive out to Southern Pennsylvania city of Stanton, where they pick up their train for the day. Colson, distracted by phone calls that update his ongoing appeal to the restraining order placed against him by his wife, by mistake attaches too many cars. Unable to reverse their load to return the cars, they start out for their destination along the main line in the opposing direction to the unmanned train.

Once news of the unmanned train is made known to Yardmaster Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson), she notifies Ned (Lew Temple), a welder for the railroad, to set a switch to maneuver the train off the main line, as the two negligent engineers attempt to catch up with the train by car. Once it is discovered the train is running under full power, not 'coasting' as previously thought, and carrying highly toxic chemicals and diesel fuel, Connie calls her superior, Oscar Galvin (Kevin Dunn) and informs him of the potentially disastrous situation if the train reaches the city of Stanton. Travelling at speed through densely populated areas, Connie and Galvin argue about the proper course of action, and after an unsuccessful derailment attempt at an evacuated town, it is left to the heroics of Colson and Barnes to stop the train. Due to Colson's mistake of attaching too many cars, they barely exit the main line in time to avoid the unmanned train, but they decide to release their front locomotive and drive it backwards in desperate pursuit of the runaway.

It is ludicrous, but exciting, heart-pounding entertainment. The opening third of the film is ridiculously lame and reminded me of Training Day all over again. Denzel Washington plays the veteran assigned with the rookie on his first day. He extends his knowledge and instructs him to ask if he doesn't know something, but challenges him to prove his training. They share small talk, and slowly begin to reveal the details of their personal lives throughout the day, which become more intimate and dramatic as their situation becomes even more dangerous. One such exchange is particularly corny when Barnes asks Colson if he is married. He replies: "Yep...sorta...it's a long story", which Barnes' replies: "Well it's a long day." Wow.

There also happens to be a group of school children on a railway excursion on the same day as all this transpires, and at one point their train is running head-on towards the speeding runaway, barely switching off the main line before a collision. They are never seen again. Related to this, there is also a Safety Inspector from the Railway Commission (Kevin Corrigan) waiting at Connie Hooper's office to deliver a presentation to the children. Conveniently he sticks around and assists Barnes throughout their pursuit and attempts to slow the train. Everything is majorly exaggerated here, from the terrifying speed of the train, to the series of implausible incidents that happen en-route of the main line in an attempt to stop the train, to the unnecessary conflict that ensues between Connie Hooper and Galvin. Also amazing is the startling footage that the media captures of their heroics, equipped with swiftly produced diagrams of the possible outcome of the plan to derail, which is being broadcast live around the Nation. Despite all of these ridiculous features, and a screenplay riddled with horrible dialogue, it is hard not to be overwhelmed with excitement and emotion by the end.

Washington and Pine are very well cast, and while their characters are pretty cliche to the genre, they bring a toughness and likability to their roles. Rosario Dawson, who looks at first to be miscast, is also quite good. But the shallow supporting characters are all poorly developed. Tony Scott's hyperactive visual style, which was distracting in many of his previous films, is quite controlled here. The runaway train is captured from all angles as this ominous missile (as Connie Hooper calls it) chugging towards what feels like oblivion for Stanton, while the close synchronised passing of trains, and the final pursuit is technically brilliant. The pace is relentless and the stunts are impressive. Unstoppable is much better than I expected, and one of Tony Scott's best films. Though seemingly implausible, littered with cliches and predictable, the final forty minutes is some of the most heart-pounding action I have seen in a long time, transforming this into just above-average popcorn fare.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

I Heart Huckabees is a very odd philosophical comedy from co-writer/producer and director David O. Russell (Three Kings and the soon-to-be-released The Fighter). The story follows Existential Detectives Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman as they obsessively survey and investigate a series of troubled clients, including Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg and Naomi Watts, as they struggle through inexplicable coincidences and overlapping crises that plague their existential understandings. While it gets some points for originality and for its thought-provoking theories on human existence, it is indescribably eccentric, fast talking and near incomprehensible. With such a talented lineup of stars, which also included Isabelle Huppert, I guess I expected more. Though far from memorable, Law's Shania Twain/mayo story was indeed hilarious, and the score was quite addictive.

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Directors Guild of America have released their nominees for achievement in directing, which is usually a pretty good guide for how the nominees will line up on Oscar Day. The cited nominees are:

- Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan - David Fincher for The Social Network - Tom Hooper for The King's Speech - Christopher Nolan for Inception - David O. Russell for The Fighter

I don't think anyone surpasses the achievement of Darren Aronofsky in Black Swan, despite Fincher directing his best film since Se7en and Nolan directing his greatest work to date with Inception. I haven't seen The Fighter yet, it is released in Australia on the 20th January, but my pick is Aronofsky here. Thoughts?

Here are some snaps from the February Issue of W Magazine of Rooney Mara and the first look of her as Lisbeth Salander in the upcoming David Fincher re-envisioning of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Mara, who was cast based on her professional relationship with Fincher in The Social Network, where she gave an excellent performance in just three scenes, looks amazing in these photos: